Messengers as sales channel: the growth continues

July 06, 2020

Yandex.Checkout has conducted a study about the efficiency of the invoicing solution. The service allows issuing invoices directly and sending them via email, text message, or a direct link in a chat, and monitor the payment process. 16 thousand companies are using Yandex.Checkout’s invoicing solution.

How businesses bill

From the beginning of 2020, 62.5% companies have billed their clients using messengers, 48% via email, and 35% via text messages. The overall number of invoices accounts for 2M, while a year earlier it was 1,5M. Messengers are the primary sales channel with over 1M invoices issued there.

Yandex.Checkout analytics noted that the popularity of email as a sales channel is decreasing. The percentage of email invoices has dropped to 30%, while last year it accounted for 45% of all invoices. Messengers, on the other hand, are becoming more efficient invoicing method: during the past 12 months customers have paid 49% of invoices via this method. The demand for text message codes as sales channel has also increased: 21% of invoices were sent via text this year in comparison with 13% in the same time period last year.

Another trend is small business entering the mobile segment. During the last 6 months, 20% of the companies have sent invoices from the Yandex.Checkout app.

What customers pay for

In the last 12 months, the most often issued invoices were for souvenirs and goods for hobbies, 18%. On average, customer paid $55. However, by the turnover indicator, this category is only third largest. The top ranking belongs to home and garden goods (with the average order value of $150), followed by apparel and shoes (with the average order value of $100). Curiously, the average check for both home appliances and apparel is significantly larger compared to traditional sales methods.

The average transaction via email in the last 12 months has declined by 12%, to $103. For messengers, this number has increased by 6%, to $80, and for text messages it remains almost on the same level: a 1% drop to $82.

Top categories by the turnover for invoices via email, messengers, and text messages

1. Home and garden goods, average order value — $150

2. Apparel & shoes — $100

3. Souvenirs and hobbies — $55

4. Music, video, games — $60

5. Education — $96

6. Construction and renovation — $130

7. Beauty products — $93

8. Groceries — $68

9. Sport goods — $131

10. Consulting — $91

Categories are presented in descending order by the turnover for invoices sent via Yandex.Checkout

About Yandex.Checkout

Yandex.Checkout is the leading service for accepting online payments in Russia (37% market share), according to a 2019 survey by MARC. Currently Yandex.Checkout serves 120K merchants from 75 countries. Other businesses include anti-fraud protection service, marketing lead generation business, installments, B2B payments, contactless payments, solutions for sales via social media and a variety of innovative driver payment options.